A Time Slip adventure
by susan cousineau
Summary: This is the story of two women and the adventure that takes them on an adventure that they will never forget.
1. Chapter 1

It was nearing the end of October 2017 when Shelly found that she finally had a few days off. It was not a normal thing for her as she usually worked 6 days a week.

Shelly looked out her living room window and smiled. The weather was warm and the sun was shining brightly. It was going to be a great day. She gave her friend Michelle a call. It was going to be a great day and they agreed to leave at 9 am.

As Shelly pulled into Michelle's driveway she was heavy into thought. 'Where should we go? How much time did they have? They could go up north and enjoy the foliage. Yes, she thought to herself, they would decide.'

Michelle always knew that her friend would have some wild idea on where to go. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Although she certainly couldn't be called a raving beauty she was proud of her looks. She lived in a small house with her sister and had been single for a long time now. She never regretted getting a divorce. Her friend Shelly had been a widow for a few years and was single also.

As the two women met and decided on where to go the atmosphere was light and cheerful. " I would like to head to the casino. I have a parking pass and it would cost us nothing." Michelle offered.

Shelly smiled at her friend and told her "I just don't have that much money and I still can't believe that they wanted 100 dollars to park the last time we went. Let's go up north and check out the scenery. It's starting to get late in the season and we might not ever get another chance. The casino will be there for the next thousand years." she smiled to her friend.

"I suppose, But I think that we should stay off of the main roads if we can." Michele told her.

They decided to take Route 5 . Route 5 was a slower road than the interstate but still well traveled. As they approached Brattleboro they made the decision to go east into New Hampshire. There were the lakes out there and also many more side roads. Unfortunately, neither one of them were familiar with the roads once they went around the rotary and across the bridge.

The scenery was beautiful and Shelly and Michelle stopped several times to take a picture. They were still on the main road when they came upon an old stagecoach stop. The building was brick and in very bad condition. The windows were boarded up and the grass was overgrown. It was quite evident that the building had not been in use for many years.

"What a shame that such a building should be ignored. It has so much history . So so many people came and went from here there must be so many imprints there." Shelly said to herself more than to Michelle.

With that thought Shelly turned the wheel and went down the old road to follow the path the stagecoach once took. They had traveled not more than a mile when the car stalled. The car was nearly brand new and had just had work done at the dealer. "Oh no. Here we are in the middle of nowhere and no car." Shelly spoke out loud.

"We will just have to go to the main road. I have no cell." Michelle said.

Shelly looked down at her phone and tried to get a signal but there was no service. Yep they were going to have to walk.

As the two women got out of the car and started walking they noticed something seemed to be a little different. Try as they could they couldn't hear the highway. The highway had been semi busy and they were sure that they should hear the sounds of traffic.

Michelle looked down the lane as far as she could see and saw nothing. She started to turn to her friend when she heard the sound of horse's hooves. Yes she was sure it was a horse . The two women turned around at the same time and looked up to find a man in a horse and buggy. He was dressed like a farmer from long ago with coveralls. He stopped his buggy when he came upon the two women.

"Hello. Can I be of some assistance to you fine ladies?" he said with an Irish brogue.

"Thank you sir for stopping. You see our car broke down and we can't get our cell phones to work. Can you please give us a ride to the nearest phone?" Shelly asked him.

The lad looked at her with a strange face and said "I don't know what a phone or car is, but I can take you to the Inn and perhaps they can help ye."

Michelle wasn't sure that she wanted to go with this strange man, but Shelly jumped right in. With a shake of her head she climbed onto the old buggy.

The road was very rocky and the ride was not the most comfortable ride Shelly had ever had, but it was better than walking. Although they were both wearing comfortable shoes her feet were killing her.

Not five minutes later the two friends could see the other road straight ahead, but it was dirt. That couldn't be the same road it was paved and had been paved for years. Just then they noticed the bustling inn. There were many people around all dressed as though it was 150 years ago. With buggies and the smell of the wood burning in the fireplace, it was as though they had stepped through time.


	2. Chapter 2

As the two friends looked in amazement at the sight that they beheld the gentleman pulled the horse and buggy over to the stables . The gentleman that met them took the reins and assisted Michelle and Shelley get down. Shelly looked at the clean well kept barn and watched as the young man brought the horses inside for a much deserved rest and some food.

That was when the two women turned their attention to the surroundings. There was a stagecoach that was getting ready to leave. The writing on the coach itself said Portland Maine. They watched as six people were being assisted on getting into the coach. There was a young man who was sitting on the top front holding the reins He had a large shotgun sitting next to him on the bench.

The young man that was aiding the passengers with their luggage and comfort smiled and bowed to each passenger. Once he saw that the passengers were safe and comfortable he climbed up on the seat next to the driver and took the shotgun in his hands. With that both men checked both sides and then slapped the reins starting the long journey back to Maine. Michelle was wondering how comfortable one of those coaches were. They were small the roads were dirt and there were no bathrooms, nowhere to get a drink anything until they arrived at the next stop.

The young man that had given them a ride was watching them with a deep questioning look. They were well aware of the fact that they must have stuck out like a sore thumb. They were in 21st century dress in a 19th century time. However, he smiled and opened the door to the inn.

At this time Michelle realized just how cold the weather had become. It felt as though there could be snow. The clouds were very dark and the wind was blowing hard. All she had with her was her sweater . As she looked over into the center of the room she saw a large fireplace that had a roaring fire. She smiled at her friend and they walked over to the warmth of the fire.

As the two friends started to warm up and their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting they noticed several things. The room was large and very loud. There were several people seated at a bar with families sitting together in closely put tables and chairs. The smell was wonderful. You could smell the hickory of the burning wood and also the food that was cooking in the kitchen.

Everything about the room was from another time. Everything was lit by candle and the tobacco odor was strong. Many of the men appeared to be smoking pipes while they relaxed . Some families were seated against the wall with all their luggage. It was apparent that they were there waiting for transportation.

Michelle looked up once again to the young man that had brought them to the inn coming towards them. He had a lady with him who had a warm smile. " Mam I would like you to meet the mistress of the inn Mrs. Simms.

They exchanged introductions and both women made a genuine attempt at appearing very friendly. "I am sorry that you ran into some trouble this evening. But fortunately, the inn is dry and warm and you are more than welcome to stay here as my guest."

That is when Michelle attempted to explain what was happening. "You see Mrs. Simms you are a wonderful host and your inn is beautiful, but we need to get back to our homes in Massachusetts. I was hoping that one of the men here would be able to help get our transportation going . Our families will worry if we don't arrive at home. We still can't get any cell phone service here. Do you have a phone?" she asked.

Mrs. Simms looked a little worried and confused. "I am sorry but what you speak of I do not know. What is a cell phone or a phone?"

With that Michelle knew that they were now on their own. Somehow they had arrived at another time and place. She thought for a moment and said "I am sorry about the confusion. You are right it is very cold outside and it feels as though it might snow. We would appreciate something to eat and a place to sleep." she said with her sweetest smile.

"I will tell you mam that once light comes in the morning my husband and brother will take you to your vehicle and see if they can fix it. Right now the snow has begun and on a dark and wintry night you need to be here where you are safe. There is mutton for supper and in the morning there will be fresh bread." Mrs. Simms said with a smile and turned to walk to what they were sure was the kitchen.

You could sense that people were getting ready for the food. The people at the bar got up and went to what Michelle assumed was their families. The families got together and crowded around the small tables.

Mrs. Simms came over to each table greeted them and gave them a large platter of food. It smelled very good.

With each move both women took pictures and videos. No one was going to believe what had happened. They were careful to get pictures of the inside the people the food anything and everything. They took so much video that their phones were getting very low on battery. That is when they started taking pictures only.

As Michelle and Shelley ate they were pleased at the taste of the food. The bread was warm and fresh and the mutton was something like a stew. It had potatoes and carrots and some sort of gravy.

Once the food was consumed people went back to relaxing . A man pulled out a fiddle and the children began to dance. The atmosphere was free and happy. At about 10 everyone went to their rooms.

Mrs Simms came over to the women "I am afraid that because of the storm my inn is quite full. I have a small room on the second floor that has a warm bed and ye are welcome to it." she said with a smile.

At this point both girls were very tired and welcomed the warm bed. As they climbed the narrow stairway with a candle they almost felt like laughing. 'What a predicament' Michelle thought to herself. Mrs. Simms was right the room was small but the bed was very comfortable and they both fell into a deep sleep.

The women were woken up bright and early by the noise of families moving up and down the hallway. They were not being noisy to be rude, just because of the volume of the people and the thin walls it was very noisy. Plus the fact that the two women were in a strange place and time. This had not helped the quality of their sleep that night.

Michelle went to the basin by the mirror and splashed some water on her face. She looked in the mirror and grimaced. "Ugh I look like a witch, my hair is everywhere and my mouth feels as though a whole army has walked through it." with that she laughed.

All Shelly did was grunt. As they opened the door the smell of fresh bread filled the air and As they came down the stairs Mrs. Simms greeted them. "I would like you to meet my husband. He will take you to your vehicle."

Michelle looked down at her phone and saw that it was down to only 20 percent battery. There was no place to charge it until they got to the car. She wasn't even sure if that would work. She shook her head.

The women thanked them and as they walked out the door they looked back. Mr. Simms was behind them by not more than ten paces. But, as they walked out the door things changed immediately. Michelle almost fell down on the broken step. The two women turned quickly around and saw that the stagecoach inn looked as it did the day before. It was all boarded up and abandoned. The weather was warm and gone was any sign of snow.

They went to the stables and saw that the stables were also abandoned and obviously in disuse.

Michelle picked up her cell and received a signal right away. She called Triple A and made arrangements to meet them at the car. As Michelle and Shelly made their way back to the car they could not believe what had happened.

The strangest thing happened when they got to the car. The car started as though nothing had happened and they were able to cancel the triple A.

As they plugged their cell phones into the car the two women were anxious to see the videos and send it over to their email. But to their astonishment nothing was on the camera. It was as if nothing strange had ever happened.


End file.
